Blessing Flashcards
1
Q
‘Blessing’
A
- Extended metaphor comparing water to a gift from God - religious connotations
- Shows how, despite the fact that this community is far from blessed, when there is scarcity, access to that thing seems like a ‘blessing’
2
Q
Form
A
- Free verse
- Highlights how infrequently and irregularly this community receives water
3
Q
Division between the 4 stanzas
A
- First two stanzas set the scene by describing the suffering caused by the scarcity
- Second, longer stanza with enjambment describes the excitment of the people when given access to this scarce resource
- The fourth stanza describes it as a blessing, and how it is only a temporary relief - the drout will come again
4
Q
Enjambment and one-sentence nature of poem
A
- Mimetic of the flow of water
- Increased enjambent in second stanza creates a sense of excitement and chaos
- Shows how it is so valuable due to its scarcity, so it always at the forefront of people’s minds and the excitement it can cause when people are given access to it
5
Q
Caesuras
A
- Contrast with the regularity created by the enjambment
- Disrupts the regularity of the flow of the poem to show how their supply of water is haphazard at best
6
Q
‘The skin cracks’
A
- Metaphor for the earth, though polysemus as it could mean literal dry skin
- Harsh consonants in ‘cracks’
- Emphasises the harsh effects of the drout and the sun, and the breadth of these effects as it impacts both man and nature
7
Q
‘like a pod’
A
- Similie
- Further shows the breadth of the impact of the drout as it affects man and nature
- Emphasises how violent and gruesome the effects of a lack of water can be on a person
8
Q
‘There never is enough water’
A
- Anastrophe
- Foregrounds the word ‘never’ to heighten the harsh presentation of the drout and the desperation of the people
9
Q
‘Imagine the drip of it’
A
- Imperative
- Instructs the reader who likely has never experienced severe drout to try and sympathise with the community and understand their suffering
10
Q
‘small splash’
A
- Sibilance
- Mimetic of dehydration to show the severity of the drout
11
Q
‘echo’
A
- End-focused word
- Shows the significance of simply one drop of water
12
Q
‘in a tin mug’
A
‘Tin’ implies poverty
13
Q
‘the voice of a kindly god’
A
- Metaphor
- Shows how scarce water is by comparing even the sound of a single drop to the ‘voice of a god’ to illustrate their gratefulness for even a little bit of water
- However, ‘kindly’ is ironic as the best this God could do is provide one single drop to this desperate community
14
Q
‘Sometimes’
A
Shows how infrequently and unpredictably they receive water
15
Q
‘municipal’
A
- Regularity of ‘municipal’ contrasts how infrequently they receive water
- It highlights the deep inequalities within humanity, accentuating the desperation of this community
16
Q
‘silver crashes’
A
- Metaphor
- Highlights the value of water for this community, forcing privileged readers to reflect
17
Q
‘the sudden rush’ and ‘the flow has found’
A
- Sibilance and fricative alliteration
- Mimetic of the flow of water
18
Q
‘a roar of tongues’
A
- Metaphor and synecdoche
- Shows the chaos caused by people flocking to try and receive some water
- The synecdohce of ‘tongues’ shows how to the people their tongue is the most important aspect of them in this moment as it is what can consume water
19
Q
‘congregation’
A
- Religious connotations, comparing the crowd of people to worshippers in a church
- Shows how water is so scarce they almost worship it
20
Q
‘every man woman and child’ and ‘pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets’
A
- Asyndetic lists
- Shows the chaos, desperation and even hysteria at this moment
21
Q
‘and naked children’
A
- Pathos
- Makes us question why children should endure so much suffering to be excited by water
22
Q
‘liquid sun’
A
- Metaphor
- ‘Sun’ is symbolic of the joy at this moment in time, but foreshadows the soon to come burning and drout once the flow of water ends
23
Q
‘as the blessing sings’
A
Continues the extended metaphor
24
Q
‘their highlights polished to perfection’ and ‘over their small bones’
A
- Pathos highlighting their fragility
- Shows their poverty and malnourishment, contrasted with their innocence and undeservedness
